William Saliba has become one of the hottest topics of conversation among Arsenal fans this season following the 20-year-old's stellar displays on loan at Marseille.
The young centre-half has impressed for the French outfit on the domestic and European stage, leaving Arsenal fans pondering as to whether he could have been of service to Mikel Arteta this season.
Saliba has plugged away and shown the Arsenal boss that he has exactly what it takes to compete for a starring role upon his return, ranking as Ligue 1's fourth most successful passer of the ball - perfect for Arteta's philosophies.
However, the France U21 international was signed by Unai Emery during his time at the helm of the Gunners and Arteta has been quick to stamp his authority on the club by signing two centre-backs of his own.
The respective arrivals of Gabriel Magalhães from Lille and Ben White from Brighton and Hove Albion seemed to act as a damning verdict of Saliba's chances at the Emirates Stadium, with the Frenchman shipped out on loan no fewer than three times since signing for Arsenal.
As good as he's been for Marseille so far this season, some Arsenal fans have started to worry that Saliba's Arsenal career may be over before it's even really begun.
The Arsenal Way writer and presenter Tom Canton spoke to French football expert Jeremy Smith on The Arsenal Way YouTube channel recently, with the pair delving deeper into Saliba's loan at Marseille and questioning whether the young defender has a future at the Emirates Stadium.
Smith kickstarted the conversation by noting how the defender has remained relatively quiet in terms of his Arsenal future while on loan at Marseille, potentially raising questions as to whether he intends to return to the club at all.
"You can certainly understand Saliba's frustrations and I don't know what his thinking is long-term, but maybe in his head he has already cut his ties with Arsenal or maybe he's just looking to knuckle down and make himself unsellable," Smith said.
"This year he's on loan the whole season with a bigger club and bigger expectations so he's probably thinking that this is make or break really, 'concentrate on the football and keep my mouth shut off the pitch'."
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